Matt Schlapp elected ACU chairman

Former Bush administration official Matt Schlapp was elected chairman of the American Conservative Union on Thursday, and he signaled that he wants the group to take a more inclusive approach, which could extend to gay Republicans.

He succeeds Al Cardenas as head of the organization, which — in addition to rating the conservative credentials of members of Congress — also puts on the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference.

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In the past, CPAC has taken heat over perceptions that gay rights groups aren’t welcomed. Without offering too many specifics, Schlapp said in an interview that he wants the ACU to embrace a big-tent attitude.

“The goal of ACU is not to kick all people out who might come from a different perspective,” he said. “In its name, it’s a union, to bring people together in a coalition. That’s the goal. When it comes to CPAC, the welcome mat is out, recognizing the fact that not everyone agrees. At the same time, we want to be true to our principles.”

That approach, signaled Schlapp, will also apply to national security hawks, some of whom feel that CPAC tends to be dominated by libertarian activists.

“The only way to be successful is to pull together conservatives from different camps,” he said, nodding to former President Ronald Reagan’s coalition. “If that doesn’t get replicated, if that doesn’t happen, there won’t be public policy success — there will be splinters.”

Schlapp, who co-founded the consulting group Cove Strategies and served as political director to then-President George W. Bush, was elected unanimously during a morning gathering of the group’s board.

Conservatives need to “remember who the ultimate political enemy is,” he said. “And that’s those on the left, not those of us in the center-right coalition.”

Ned Ryun, another member of the board and a prominent conservative, said he expected that Schlapp would prioritize fundraising and would also seek to make CPAC — currently a gathering that is driven by high-profile speeches — a training ground for activists.

“It’s great to have conversations about ideas, it’s always great to have conversations about what we believe, but how do we make those ideas become a reality? More of an emphasis on: here are the tools, here are the messages, here are the strategies,” said Ryun, who heads up American Majority, another organization that focuses on grassroots training. He added that Schlapp is “committed to hopping on a plane and going to meet with donors.”

Schlapp also said that he expects the ACU’s political action committee to be a bigger priority going forward.